Pike fly fishing setup – where to begin?

What should a proper pike fly fishing setup include?
Most anglers will say: a rod, a reel, maybe a leader.
But the real order of importance looks quite different. The most crucial element in a pike fly fishing setup is… the fly line. Only then come the fly, the leader, the rod – and lastly, the reel.

In fly fishing, it’s the line that carries the entire system. It delivers the fly and determines how deep and how effectively you can present it.

The fly line – the heart of your pike setup

For those who’ve already taken their first steps in fly fishing, this is obvious. In spinning, the lure pulls the line. In fly fishing – it’s the other way around. The line determines the presentation, depth, and the effectiveness of the hookset.

As long as we’re casting small, lightweight flies, it all feels pretty straightforward. But once you step into the world of pike streamers – big, bulky patterns, often tied with water-absorbing materials – things get trickier. The line needs to carry that fly, shoot it efficiently, and then still present it at the right depth.

What fly lines for pike?

There are several types of fly lines on the market designed specifically for casting large pike flies. They generally fall into two main categories:

Short, aggressive head lines – marketed as easier for casting big streamers.
Lines with 10–12 meter heads – much more comfortable to work with, although they require a basic level of casting skill.

The first type supposedly helps you throw a big streamer without much experience. In practice, it might indeed get you started more easily, but usually at a limited distance and often in a messy, uncontrolled way. These lines tend to feel twitchy and imprecise. They're okay for short-range casting but don’t offer much versatility.

In reality, many anglers who spend just a few hours with a casting instructor end up appreciating or returning to longer-headed lines. They cast farther, more accurately, and with better rhythm.

They fish better — and I’m not afraid to say it — they catch more in the long run.

Head weight – the uncomfortable truth

The second key feature, aside from head length, is its weight

Some manufacturers insist on overloading their lines. A #10 line can weigh as much as 30 grams – which is simply too much for most rods, even in that class.

The theory? “They load better.”

The reality? They overload the rod and you lose control over the setup. The rod no longer works naturally, and casting becomes exhausting.

My personal rule of thumb?

For a #10 setup, I often use lines labeled #8 to #10 – but I make sure the head weight stays below 24 grams. That’s the sweet spot for both comfort and performance – not the rod’s breaking point, but your own.

Line Density – Floating, Intermediate, Sinking

Floating, Intermediate or Sinking? Let’s Talk Line Behavior

Once you’ve picked the right head length and weight, it’s time to decide how your line should behave in the water. Here are your basic options:

Floating (F) lines
Intermediate (slow sinking) lines
Full sinking lines (S1 to S7)

The rule of thumb usually goes like this:
– use floating lines in shallow water,
– intermediate lines up to about 2 meters deep,
– and anything deeper than that? “Forget it” – not worth the effort.

But that’s theory.

In practice, intermediate lines are an excellent all-round choice for pike. They work on most waters, especially if you’re just starting out. If you’re wondering what to go for first – this is it.

Floating lines, on the other hand, are more situational. They’re great when fishing very shallow spots full of vegetation, or when targeting fish that chase surface flies. You can also use them with lightly weighted flies fished on the drop – think of it as a flyfishing version of jigging. It can be surprisingly effective!

In most other situations though, floating lines tend to get in the way more than they help.

Here’s something I hear a lot from friends and customers:
“If I can’t fish shallow, I just put the fly rod away and grab my spinning setup.”

Why? A few reasons:

Good sinking lines are hard to find.
They’re expensive.

Most predator fly lines – floating, intermediate or sinking – tend to be pricey. And when you start building a proper kit with multiple densities, the total cost often exceeds that of your rod and reel combined. That just feels... wrong.

But here’s the thing – if you want to extend your pike season, or go after bigger, stronger fish, sinking lines are absolutely worth adding to your arsenal.

Ironically, floating lines are the real “specialist” tool – with a much narrower range of use than people think.
It’s just that no one really talks about it.

When the Fish Just Won’t Bite

Let’s start with a bit of theory.

When fishing a fly in, say, 4 meters of water, you can often expect strikes even just below the surface.
First – active fish often cruise the upper layers.
Second – for a feeding pike, it’s no problem to launch itself from several meters deep to hit a fly just under the surface.

Just listen to Piotr Piskorski’s story in one of the “Wkręceni” podcast episodes, where he describes a pike shooting up from 12 meters like a missile. I’ve seen similar things myself.

But… that only applies to actively feeding fish. And those moments are not easy to catch.
More often, it’s one of those days – the weather is perfect, your boat is parked over a textbook drop-off or hump, and everything screams “fish!” – but you get nothing.
Fish buried in weeds, and not a single strike all day. You change flies, colors, sizes. Still nothing.
Maybe one small pike that looks more like your fly than your target.

That’s the moment to ask: is the problem the fish… or your presentation?

In my experience, when the fish are sluggish or the spot’s been hammered – radically increasing the pace and adding sharp pauses can save the day.
Instead of the usual slow and steady retrieve, I go for fast strips and aggressive breaks.
But that kind of retrieve needs a faster sinking line – even on shallow water!

Sounds controversial? A sinking line on 1.5 meters of water?

And yet – the speed keeps the fly from sinking too deep. The strips give it action, and each pull lifts it back toward the surface.
An intermediate line, in this case, can be too buoyant – the fly just skims under the top, never reaching the fish’s strike zone.

That’s why, on 3–6 meter spots, I’ll even go for an S7 line – when needed.

Fishing on the drift and Live Scope systems

The second situation where a sinking line really makes a difference also involves fishing from a boat — this time while drifting. It’s a very effective method for actively covering water, but it’s also much more demanding when it comes to fly control.

When drifting, the boat moves together with the line, which reduces the speed difference between stripping the line and the direction of the drift. The result? The fly moves much slower, and without a distinct acceleration, you’re mostly just picking up slack. A sinking line — especially in the faster densities — helps counteract that. It gets the fly down to the right depth faster and more efficiently, without wasting valuable drift time waiting for it to sink, like with intermediate lines, which can take over ten seconds to reach just 2–3 meters.

Casting distance – the key factor

In this context, casting distance becomes especially important. When you're anchored, short casts are often enough—toward the reeds, a fallen tree... But during a drift, when you're searching for fish in 3–4 meters of water, it's a different story.

Imagine this: you cast 15 meters, wait for the fly to sink… meanwhile, the boat keeps drifting with the wind. You wait for the line to settle, pick up slack, and finally manage maybe three or four effective strips—then you're out of line. Instead of staying in the strike zone, the fly is pulled back toward the surface. Your contact with the deeper layer of water lasts only a few seconds—if it even happens at all. Very quickly, your fly is out of play.

A sinking line—matched to the water depth and drift speed—dramatically increases your chances of connecting with a fish. And the farther you cast, the longer and more valuable that window becomes.

It's definitely worth improving your technique. Even the best gear won't do the work for you. The line won’t cast itself.

If your goal is to fish effectively—not just to cast wildly and risk smacking yourself (or your boat buddy) in the head—you’ll eventually need to invest time in learning. A casting course, a proper training session, or even just a day spent with someone more experienced isn’t a luxury—it’s part of the process, if you take your passion seriously.

How do we know all this?

Of course—up to a certain point, it was all guesswork.
We assumed how deep the fly was running, and the only proof we were right was a fish in the net.
But then came technology—and confirmed what I had long suspected.

Anyone who’s used Live View (LiveScope) has seen it:
Seemingly empty water… and suddenly, right behind your fly—a fish.
It lifts its head from the weeds, sometimes swims a couple of meters,
sometimes follows the fly all the way to the boat.
Or just smashes it out of nowhere!

During those quiet spells, the key is always the same:
your fly has to provoke the predator with its movement
but also get close enough to trigger a reaction.
And when the fish are hiding deep—a sinking line helps make it happen. Fast.

Pike Streamer – The Ultimate Provocation

A good fly matters – no doubt. But pike aren’t trout. This isn’t about finesse.

It’s about intensity: the push of water, the profile, the size, the action.
Sometimes a bit of weight helps – not just to get deeper, but to create a sharper drop or faster descent.
Sometimes it’s about adding something provocative – like a Wiggle Tail or articulated joint.

A streamer should spark curiosity… and end in an attack.

But how it flies – and how it swims – starts at the vise.
Construction and materials directly affect both castability and movement.

A well-made Dubbing Brush can build a fly that pushes water, holds a strong profile, but still casts like a missile.

Same with Nayat / Snow Runner – a hair that moves like a living creature but barely absorbs water.
One backcast and it sheds the excess – flying clean and light.
After 300 casts, that’s a big deal.

In summary – back to where we started

It’s the line that decides whether your streamer gets to where it needs to be. Whether it stays there long enough. Whether it triggers a strike.
If you want to fish effectively – especially in tough conditions – you need to start with the right line.

The rest – leader, rod, reel – are just supporting tools.
The foundation of your entire pike setup is the fly line.
And that should be chosen not only based on water depth, but also on how you fish – your retrieve style and tempo.

A slow-sinking intermediate line, retrieved gently with long pauses, can end up sinking all the way to the bottom.
A fast-sinking line, stripped aggressively, might actually ride quite shallow – even though it’s capable of reaching much deeper.

That’s why it pays to use lines that let you work your streamer at different depths and speeds, depending on what the situation calls for.